Catholic & Crunchy: Tea Party Bridal Shower!

A week ago today, my sister threw me the best bridal shower ever! The day started off with her in the kitchen and me so ready to know all the secrets her and my mom had been whispering about! She let me lick the batter out of the bowl and it was chocolate... so I knew all was right with the world.

My sissy/hostess making cupcakes from scratch!

Around 10:30, my dad took me out so they could get the house ready without me being there. We ran a few errands and had my car checked out at Advance Auto before heading to Starbucks. We had such great conversation there. We talked about death, eternity, and heaven. Heavy, right? But it was really nice because it's not something that would normally come up in conversation. He had just gone to the funeral the day before of the wife of his Weight Watchers leader, so the conversation flowed naturally after he told me about the funeral. From there we talked a lot about the journey I'm on, how Steven and I got to where we are now, and what I want our future to look like in terms of faith and religion. He knows that things have changed for us, but he didn't really know the details. My dad is the only other Catholic in my family, so it was a bonding experience discussing our faith. Again, not something that normally comes up for us, but I enjoyed it immensely.

But back to the shower! We got home at 1:30 (shower started at 2) and my bridesmaids were already there. As soon as dad dropped me off in the driveway, I saw the bridal shower balloons Rachel had out front, and I got really emotional!

V.O.A.- veiled on arrival

So of course when I walked in the house and saw my sister, mom, and bridesmaids, I cried! Rachel put a veil on me and all the guests wore fascinator style headbands. It was SO cute. They had pictures of me as a bavy and child all over the place, and the theme was tea party. They used all of my mom's wedding china, including, of course, the tea cups and saucers! They even confiscated my childhood teddy bear from Raleigh without me knowing and had him at the tea party!

Some of the yummy treats, and one of our engagement photos right in the middle!

My mom getting some snacks from the beautiful food table! Notice the party favors in the back left- fuzzy socks rolled up like cupcakes!

We ate first and all sat around talking as the last few guests arrived. Then we played games, opened presents, and had some more chit chat time. I got some awesome gifts including things off my honeymoon registry, a mandolin slicer, some cooking utensils, a loaf pan, silicone muffin liners, and an ice cream machine. It was SO much fun and even better than I had imagined. My sister, who knows me so well, tried to make everything reusable so there would be little waste. She put so much thought into SO many little details! I think that was part of what made me emotional. I brought so much stuff back for scrapbooking, like the deflated bridal shower balloon, the cupcake decorations, confetti, and the "pin the flower on the bride" sheet.

Rachel with mom's wedding china tea cups!

Dad came home towards the end of the shower to snag a plate of food... what, you thought he didn't have to follow the same rules as everyone else!?

I was so sad when the shower was over and didn't want to go to bed that night because then 'shower day' would officially be over! I had been really anxious and nervous, all the way until about 30 minutes into the shower, about being the center of attention. But once my friends were there and we were all just hanging out and having a fun time, I felt so much better! My sister made me feel super special and very bride-like without making me feel totally on display, so I was a happy bride!